Weighing scale for cigarettes



April 2, 1935. A. BIRO 1,996,139

WEIGHI-NG' SCALE FOR CIGARETTES Filed Feb. 1, 1952 f as y- 23-INsumT/0N a! X: Z: 'w

ibvwgw INVENTOR= Patented Apr. 2, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WEIGHING SCALE FOR CIGARETTES Alois Biro, Hamburg,

Germany, assignor to Universelle Cigarettenmaschinen-Fabrik J. C. Muller & (10., Dresden, Germany 6 Claims.

The present invention relates to a process for the automatic determination of the weight of the cigarettes leaving the cigarette machine. This determination may be used for statistical purposes, but it is mainly intended for regulating, with the aid of its results, the supply of tobacco to the machine as well as the state of the machine and of the tobacco in other respects, this regulation being effected either by hand or by 10 means of regulating or controlling devices actuated automatically by the apparatus.

It is already known to weigh in groups the cigarettes coming from a rod cigarette machine, the supply of the cigarettes being effected in the known devices either continuously, that is to say, the cigarettes travel, as they come from the cigarette machine, continuously over a balance, or the cigarettes are supplied to the balance at irregular intervals, that is to say, samples are taken by hand each time from the finished cigarettes and are placed on the balance pan. It has not been possible for the first-mentioned process to become established in practice, because such a balance works too slowly, while the last-mentioned process does not provide sufficiently exact information.

In the process according to the invention, the cigarettes to be weighed are taken automatically and periodically from the delivery member, which 30 delivers the cigarettes from the cigarette machine, and are supplied to a balance. By suitable means, the throw of the said balance actuates counters, if desired also a recording mechanism, the different counters corresponding to throws of different amplitude such that one counter indicates the cigarettes of correct weight, while the other counters indicate the cigarettes with overweights or underweights of difierent magnitudes.

From the distribution of the weighings among the individual counters, and from the relationship between the difierent numbers, it is possible to see at once how the cigarette machine is working, in order to effect the appropriate regulation The cigarettes leaving the cigarette machine same in part by hand, although it is also possible to effect an are fed in the usual manner upon a drum I provided with grooves in its periphery. The drum revolves continuously, and feeds the cigarettes on to a conveyor band 2, which takes them to the delivery place or the packing machine. A 5 certain number of successively manufactured cigarettes have now to be weighed periodically. For this purpose there is provided a counting member 3 which is pivotally mounted on a pivot 3a in the machine frame. The said counting 10 member comprises a fork, the prongs of which are inserted in the grooves which run peripherally round the drum, so that the said prongs engage below the cigarettes lying in the grooves I of the drum, lift the said cigarettes out of the drum and allow them to slide over the counting -member. The counting member 3 is set periodically from the drive of the machine, a gear 5, meshing with a gear 6, being provided on the shaft 4, which is set continuously in-rotation by the main 20 drive of the machine and carries the grooved drum 1. On the spindle 6a of the said gear 6 is mounted a cam 7, which acts against a rod 8 slidable in its axial direction in the machine frame. The other end of the said rod 8 bears 25 against a lug 3b on the counting member 3, the

rod 8 being maintained permanently in contact with the cam and the counting member by means of a spring 80. Consequently, the counting member will be pushed periodically by the cam either 30 into the position shown in full lines, in which position it lifts the cigarettes out of the drum and allows them to slide into a balance pan 9, or into the position shown in dotted lines, in which the cigarettes remain in the grooves and fall upon 35 the conveyor band 2. The balance pan 9 has a fixed bottom 9a and a movable bottom 91), the latter being pivoted to the balance pan 9, about a pin and being held by a spring 901 in the position shown in full lines in the drawing. The balance pan is secured by means of a suspension rod ID to balance beam l I, which is so tared by the weight I la that the balance does not turn when the counted number of cigarettes falling into the balance pan has the correct weight. The weight Ha may be made adjustable in order to adapt the apparatus to any particular weight of the cigarettes which are to be weighed. The balance pan is held against an upward movement 50 in the inoperative position by a plunger M which is vertically guided in the machine frame and bears with its lower pointed end in a guide 96 on the balance pan. The other end of the plunger 14 is pivoted to a lever l3 which is pivotally 66 mounted in the machine frame on a pivot 3a. The lever has a nose l3b', which runs on the periphery of a cam l2. The cam is so constructed that, after completion of the weighing operation, it periodically lowers the balance pan, thereby opening the balance pan. For this purpose the movable bottom 91) is provided with a nose 9] lying above an abutment I9 which is fast in the machine frame. During the weighing operation, the plunger I4 is held by the nose Nb of the lever l3 lying on the cam part |2a of the cam I2, which rotates at a uniform speed.- At the end of the weighing operation, the nose |3b of the lever I3 lies on the cam part |2b. Since the curve of the cam drops'at this place, the plunger l4 sinks, thereby taking the balance pan downwith it. When now the balance pan is near the abutment I9, the sharp drop |2c of the cam l2 causes a further sudden sinking of the plunger, so that the nose 9 strikes against the abutment l9 and the balance pan is quickly opened, the movable part being moved into the position shown in dotted lines. The cigarettes then fall out upon the conveyor band 2. Dueto the lowering of the balance pan, the latter is very close to the conveyor band during the release of the cigarettes, thereby obviating damage to the cigarettes. The lever I3 is held in engagement with the cam l2 by a spring 20.

In order that the apparatus taking the cigarettes from the drum and the weighing device shall work properly in unison, the actuating movement of the weighing device andthe actuating movement of the counting apparatus are worked off the same drive. The drive is taken from a shaft ll of the cigarette machine, which shaft by means of gearing, for example a helical gear or worm gear It? sets in rotation the shaft 4 driving the grooved drum and the counting apparatus 3, and by means of gearing, i. e. a helical gear or a worm gear l6 also drives the shaft l5 carrying the cam i2.

The throw of the balance beam i, the coming to rest of which may be accelerated by a damp ing device, not shown, is transferred to a pointer or lever 2|. The lever 2| carries a contact plate 22 at its upper end. A fixed plate 23 of electrically insulating material is also secured to the machine frame, the said plate carrying a number of contact studs, in the constructional example shown, five such contact studs, 24 to 28. As shown in Figure 2, the lever arm 2| with the contact plate 22 moves at a certain distance from the plate 23 so that the contacts do not touch and the balance is free to come to rest. In order to press the preferably springy lever 24 against the contacts after the balance has come to rest, a double lever 29 is provided which is pivoted on a spindle 30 on the machine frame and is moved by a boss 3! on the cam. l2. A spring. 32 holds the arm 29 in engagement with the cam l2 and re-opens the contact. The contact plate 22 is fast on an extension 2 la riveted to the lever 2|, while the lever 2| itself, which lies behind the plate 23, may be extended upwardly and may carry a stylus or perforating pin 32. By means of the said stylus or pin, it can inscribe or perforate a strip 33 moved step by step behind it. The contacts serve to close electrical circuits for actuating a corresponding number of counters, provided in the drawing with the reference numerals 34 to 38. Since the counters may be of known construction, the drawing only shows the front dial indicating the number counted. The connections are such that one pole of a battery 39 is connected by a lead 40 to the frame of the machine. The second pole of the battery is connected by leads 4| with one terminal respectively of each of the counters, while the second terminals of each of the counters are connected by leads 42 w one of the contact studs 24 to 28, respectively. Therefore, when the contact plate 22 is pressed against one of the contacts 24 to 28, a circuit is closed which causes a further actuation of the counter in question. The balance is so tared that the lever 2| retains approximately its central position in the case of the normal weight, when the contact 24 is closed and the counter 36 is actuated. If the cigarettes have overweight, the lever 2| makes a movement to the left and, on being pressed, comes into contact with one of the contacts or 26, according to the magnitude of the overweight thereby actuating the counter 31 or 38. In the presence of an underweight, the contact 21 or 28 will be closed correspondingly and one of the counters 34 or 35 will be actuated, since the counter 36 gives the weighings with correct weight, the counters 35 and 31 the weighings with slight underweight or overweight, respectively, and the counters 34 and 38 the weighings of large underweight or overweight, respectively.

Of course, the number of counters and contacts provided may be as large as desired, the stages of the underweights and overweights to be registered being regulated accordingly. According to the result of these countings, the supply of tobacco may be adjusted by hand, or a control device for regulating the tobacco supply may be actuated by means of the perforated strip 33, which will contain perforations at difierent places depending upon the throw of the pointer.

If it is desired to alter the amount of the overweight or underweight which is to be indicated, the counterpoise Ha may be adjusted, as mentioned in the foregoing, although the contacts 25 to 28 may also be made adjustable on the plate 23, as is indicated in the drawing by their being fixed in slots.

I claim:

1. A device for the automatic control of the weight of the cigarettes leaving a cigarette machine comprising a balance, a mechanism adapted to periodically "take a group of cigarettes from a delivery member of the cigarette machine and supply it to said balance, a pan on said balance which is adapted to move slowly against a conveyor band of the cigarette machine, a movable bottom on said pan, balance actuating means adapted to lower said pan after each weighing first slowly and then suddenly, and an abutment which is engaged by the pan during its sudden movementthereby opening the pan and discharging it.

2. A device for the automatic control of the weight of the cigarettes leaving a cigarette machine comprising a balance, a. mechanism adapted to periodically take a group of cigarettes from a delivery member of the cigarette machine and supply it to said balance, a pan on said balance, a movable bottom on said pan, balance actuating means comprising a plunger adapted to engage said pan for looking it against upward movement or to lower it for the purpose of opening it, respectively, and a cam adapted to be driven with uniform speed by the cigarette machine and operating said plunger as well for the locking movement as for.the lowering movement.

3. A device for the automatic control of the weight of the cigarettes leaving a cigarette machine comprising a balance, a mechanismadapted to periodically take a group of cigarettes from a delivery member of the cigarette machine and supply it to said balance, a pan on said balance which is adapted to move slowly against a conveyor band of the cigarette machine, a movable bottom on said pan, a nose on said pan balance, actuating means adapted to lower said pan after each weighing and an abutment which is engaged by the said nose ol' the pan during its sudden movement thereby opening the pan and discharging it.

4. A device for the automatic control of the weight of the cigarettes leaving a cigarette ma-' chine comprising a balance, a mechanism adapted to periodically take a group of cigarettes from a delivery member of the cigarette machine and supply it to said balance, a pan on said balance, a movable bottom on said pan, a guide on the balance, and balance actuating means comprising a plunger adapted to engage said guide thereby locking it against swinging in its inoperative position. V

5.. A device for the automatic control of the weight 01' the cigarettes leaving a cigarette machine comprising a balance, a mechanism adapted to periodically take a group of cigarettes from a delivery member of the cigarette'machine and supply it to said balance actuating means, countera, of which one counts the weighings with correct weight while the others count the weighing having an incorrect weight, a tongue connected to the balance, a contact carried by said tongue, a number of other contacts electrically connected with said counters and being opposite to said first mentioned contact and means controlled by said balance actuating means adapted to press said first mentioned contact after each weighing against one of the other contacts being at that time opposite thereby closing a circuit actuating the corresponding counter.

6. A device for the automatic control of the weight of the cigarettes leaving a cigarette machine comprising a balance, a mechanism adapted to periodically take a group of cigarettes from a delivery member of the cigarette machine and supply it to the said balance, a pan on said balance, a movable bottom on said pan, balance actuating means adapted to lower said pan after each weighing comprising a cam driven with uniform speed oil the cigarette machine, counters, oi. which one counts the weighings with correct weight while the others count the weighing having an incorrect weight, a tongue connected to the balance, a contact carried by said tongue, 2, number of other contacts electrically connected with said counters and being opposite to said first mentioned contact and a lever moved by said cam and adapted to press said first mentioned contact after each weighing against one of the other contacts thereby closing a circuit actuating the corresponding counter.

ALOIS Brno. 

